37. The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire Was More Resilient Than the Western Roman Empire
The fact of the matter is that the Byzantines performed well in the acid test of history, in which fitter states survive while the rest go under. In the crucible of adversity, the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire proved itself sturdier than the Western Roman Empire venerated by scholars such as Edward Gibbon.
Under mounting pressures, the Western Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century. By contrast, the Byzantine Empire withstood the various pressures it faced, was more resilient and adaptable, and managed to survive for almost another thousand years until the fifteenth century.